Tay-Sachs disease is a(n) ____ disease that results in blindness, intellectual disability, and death due to ____.

A) sex-linked; the absence of one of the sex chromosomes
B) autosomal recessive; accumulation of lipids in brain cells
C) X-linked; accumulation of acetyltransferases in brain cells
D) autosomal; sickled red blood cells
E) autosomal dominant; accumulation of mucus in the lungs

Tay-Sachs Disease

A serious genetic disease in which abnormal lipid metabolism in the brain causes mental deterioration in affected infants and young children; inheritance pattern is autosomal recessive.

Autosomal Recessive

A mode of inheritance in which a trait or disorder is expressed in individuals who have two copies of a mutant gene on one of the non-sex chromosomes (autosomes).

Lipids

A broad group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, and phospholipids.